UPDATE: 5

Rabbit to release two new beers, planning to open brewery

September 06, 2011|By Josh Noel | Tribune Newspapers

UPDATE: As if the 5 Rabbit news below from late last week wasn't enough to make Latin craft beer enthusiasts thirsty, there's more.

The brewery will release a specialty beer in the October for Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). It will be an Oktoberfest with dulce de leche and hoja santa (an herb common in Oaxacan cuisine) that will be called Vida y Muerte Ale.

Brewery co-founder Isaac Showaki said by email, "We did our first test batch and it came up incredible. A few people had the chance to taste it for a supperclub event we did ... and everyone was raving about it. We were curious to see the reaction because it was only a test batch, but it came out great."

The beer will be draft only, Showaki said. Vida y Muerte Ale will be the fourth beer for Chicago-based 5 Rabbit, which bills itself as the nation's "first Latin craft brewery."

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Since launching a couple of months ago, Chicago-based 5 Rabbit Cerveceria -- "cerveceria" translates to "brewery," gringo -- has had quite a ride. Its first two beers, a golden ale called 5 Rabbit and a passionfruit wit beer called 5 Lizard, have met wide acclaim (they both get thumbs up here). Founders Andres Araya and Isaac Showaki have poured at beer festivals big and small, including the much heralded Great Taste of the Midwest. And now there's more news.

What many consider the best beer in 5 Rabbit's stable, a "Oaxacan-style" dark ale brewed with ancho chili and piloncillo sugar called 5 Vulture, is about to return in a full-time capacity after appearing briefly early in the summer. There will be a 5 Vulture kickoff party Sept. 8 at The Bad Apple (4300 N. Lincoln Ave.) at 6 p.m., which will include a special food menu prepared to pair with the beer. The beer will also be available initially at many of the usual craft beer haunts: Map Room, Delilah's, Sheffield's, Long Room and more. Bottles will be on shelves by mid-September.

The bigger news is that Showaki and Araya have nearly raised all the money they need to build a brewery of their own (the duo and minority owner Randy Mosher have been contract brewing at Argus Brewing on the city's far South Side). Showaki tells me they are targeting an August 2012 opening, possibly in Pilsen, Bridgeport or the West Loop.

"The brewery is something that we always had planned, but originally we wanted to build it after our second year in the market," Showaki said by email. "We never thought that the beer would pick up this fast and after several discussions we decided that the best thing for the company is to have its own brewery as soon as possible. We are close to finishing raising capital and we already hired a brewery consultant that will guide us through the process."

(That's what the buzz of being the nation's "first Latin craft brewery" will do for you.)

Showaki said he imagines also opening a shop in the brewery where bottles will be for sale and growlers can be filled. Viva 5 Rabbit!